Stuck at the Fins

Since we almost moved to Idaho, we thought it would be cool to visit the Fins,and see what might have been.

Rumors of rough roads and needing 4 wheel drive made me nervous about taking my tiny Honda to this area but I forced all this to the back of my mind as we turn off the interstate and started up a dirt road. 

Leah on the phone with AAA.

At first, everything was fine.  No huge rocks, giant potholes, or ridiculous obstacles.  In fact, the road stayed very reasonable, it just got progressively steeper until my car didn't have the power to keep going.  So, instead of backing up for two miles, I decided to reverse into a small pullout and turn around.    

Poor Barry :(

This was a fatal mistake!  Shifting into first, I tried to pull forward and instead of moving, the front tires dug into the loose grave.  My heart sunk.  We were stuck.  With no good options, I thought that pulling onto the bank behind us might give us some gravity to work with.  Unfortunately, this caused Barry(my car) to go up on two wheels.  Checkmate, we were officially stuck.

Barry getting some help.

 Luckily, Leah had cell service and was able to call AAA.  We quickly learned that they only cover tows if you are on a "paved and maintained road" and they estimated the tow would cost a minimum of $250.  So we ordered a tow, and waited. 

Two hours later, the tow truck finally arrive.  He decided to tow Barry downhill, over a small bank.  This plan required some digging so the undercarriage wouldn't get damaged by large rocks and debris.  So after Leah and I helped him move dirt and rocks for a half hour, he finally pulled my car free.  

A few minutes later, he gave me a bill for $490!  I was completely shocked.  What happened to $250?  So I haggled with him until he dropped the total to $407.  It was the most painful check I have ever written.

Luckily, Barry was fine.  As we drove away, we joked that if we knew it was going to cost $400, we would have pulled out our folding chairs, poured some wine, and sat in the shade watching him do all the work.  Although I hope there is no next time, that is exactly what I will do.

So, we never made it to the Fin and the superstitious part of me can't help but feel like it's a sign that our destinies were never bound for Idaho.